In an effort to permanently establish a program that ensures veterans receive health care close to home while also extending its reach, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) introduced the Helping Our Rural Veterans Receive Health Care Act on Tuesday.
“To help our rural veterans, in 2011 with bipartisan support, Congress created a pilot program known as project ARCH (Access Received Closer to Home),” Poliquin said. “This program selected five hospitals in rural areas across the country to enter into contracts with the VA so that our veterans could receive health care closer to home. This program has proven to be a major success.”
Poliquin pointed out that 40 percent of the nation’s 22 million veterans live in rural areas.
“That’s why I introduced the Helping Our Rural Veterans Receive Health Care Act to help make the ARCH program permanent and expand the program to more rural hospitals across the country,” Poliquin said. “By allowing our rural hospitals to enter into pre-negotiated contracts with the VA, more of our rural veterans, and their families, will receive the benefits and health care they truly deserve. With so many VA programs under scrutiny for mismanagement, it’s important that we expand the programs that are successful and common sense.”